My brother-in-law, “The Lyricist,” calls me L-Boogie, after Lauryn Hill, whom I love. I can’t sing like Lauryn, but we both write (her: lyrics, me: blog posts and articles), so it’s kinda like we’re the same. Sort of.
I’m also not a DJ, but playlists are my jam. Before streaming music was a thing, I was making mix tapes for my friends based on seasons, occasions, and various life events (just like every GenXer reading this, I’m sure). I had milk crates full of cassette tapes, as my parents reminded me when they showed up on my doorstep a few years ago with piles of tapes in tow. Now, life is easier — or at least less bulky. Instead of stacks of cassette tapes and CDS, I have hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of playlists on my phone and iPad. Some are by artist, some by genre, some by decade, and some by situation: workout music, running music, cleaning music, Sunday brunch music, “bedroom” music … I think you get the point. I still have the pregame hype playlists I made with my boys when they were younger. Now, they make their own playlists, and thanks to iCloud, have have access to those, too.
Growing up, my parents were always playing music at home and in the car. A mix of stuff, but mostly Motown. Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Supremes, … I still know the lyrics to their songs as well as I know my own phone number, which is crazy because I can’t remember what I ate for breakfast earlier today or why I walked into the living room two minutes ago. Even crazier, I remember the lyrics to songs I didn’t even like, like anything by Johnny Mathis (who my mom still loves), Hall and Oats, or Air Supply (these last two I think were more of a timely, ’80s pop music thing for her). My father, by the way, is quick to point out that the Motown influence was all him (especially the dance moves — he considers himself the unknown Fifth Top #IYKYK), but he refuses to be blamed for absorbing Johnny Mathis lyrics; he’s not a fan either.
Putting aside Johnny Mathis and Air Supply, I love all kinds of music. Mostly. I’m not a big EDM fan and I’m not a heavy metal chick. But within most genres, I can find a song or two that I like. Sometimes it’s for the beat, and sometimes for the lyrics. But mostly, it’s about the vibe and how a song makes me feel. It can energize me and hype me up, make me happy, calm me down, soothe my mind, or make me feel nostalgic — even if the memories are hazy (like the ones from my college days). With throwbacks, it’s usually about the people I connect to the song. For example, when I hear Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” I always think of driving to tennis practice with my high school bestie, Carin. If any Jackson 5 or Kid n’ Play song is on, it’s my college roommate, Kerry, that comes to mind. And when I hear Salt-N-Pepa lyrics (or “Mustang Sally”), I hear Caitlin’s voice singing along.
So depending on the day, you might see me blasting Tupac and Biggie in the car pick up line, singing along to Lionel Richie in the grocery store, or humming Dave Matthews Band while I fold laundry. It just depends on my mood, which is exactly how I pick my Peloton rides and runs because for me, both movement and music are my meditation. [For example, @robinnyc’s Tribe Called Quest ride is fire and @denis_morton’s Bob Marley ride is super chill.]
Now if I could just sing like the real L-Boogie … A girl can dream, right?
-LJDT
